pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer

ABSTRACT

An organic fertilization method is provided using a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product. The pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is created by combining betaine and pH adjusting material and optionally heating, optionally filtering, and optionally cooling the combination of betaine and pH adjusting material. The pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is applied to agricultural vegetation in one of multiple forms and by one of multiple methods.

BACKGROUND

Over the years, a number of different types of fertilizer compositionshave been developed and employed in agriculture. In the recent past,synthetic chemical fertilizer compositions dominated the fertilizermarketplace. More recently, however, the public has become increasinglyaware and concerned about the links between synthetic chemicalfertilizer use, environmental degradation, and human illness. Forinstance, the public has recently become more aware that syntheticchemical fertilizers contain poisons, pollute water, destroy microbes inthe soil, lose half their value due to runoff, burn roots, requiresignificant amounts of water, contain less micro-nutrition, and areheavily laden with salt.

Consequently, there has been a significant movement toward fertilizercompositions that are suitable for use in United States Department ofAgriculture certified organic crop production. These fertilizercompositions are typically derived from natural sources and do not relyon synthetic chemicals. Unlike synthetic products, organic fertilizersencourage the growth of micro-organisms, which break down old plantmaterial and convert nutrients into food. Consequently, over time, theuse of organic fertilizers results in healthier and more fertile soil,which leads to hardier and more robust plants.

Furthermore, consumers are more concerned about health and theenvironment than ever before and are making purchasing decisions basedupon those concerns. As a result, more and more consumers are purchasingorganic foods. Studies show that many consumers who purchase organicfoods do so because they wish to avoid toxic and persistent pesticidesand fertilizers.

As a result of the increased demand for organic fertilizer compositions,there is significant interest in developing better organic fertilizercompositions that provide nutrients and reduce the risk of introducingpathogens into the food supply.

Desirable nutrients include, but are not limited to, bioavailablephosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen. These nutrients must not only bepresent in the fertilizer, but also must be present in sufficientconcentrations to benefit agricultural vegetation. In addition, theorganic fertilizer compositions must be in a form that is readilyapplied to the agricultural vegetation and/or has minimum impact on thesurrounding community. To this end, the desirable characteristics oforganic fertilizer compositions include, but are not limited to, thefollowing: the ability to directly apply the organic fertilizercompositions in a low viscosity liquid form; the ability to injectand/or add the organic fertilizer compositions into irrigation streams;time-released nitrogen components, which become bioavailable toagricultural vegetation by beneficial microbial digestion in soil;minimized chemical crop burning; minimal odor associated with theorganic fertilizer composition during and/or after application; andminimized undesirable runoff.

In an effort to find a cost-efficient organic fertilizer composition,numerous attempts have been made to utilize waste products generated byfermentation and/or refined sugar processing as an organic fertilizercomposition. These attempts have included deriving organic fertilizercompositions from malt extracts and/or spent grain liquor; treatingmolasses to recover potassium and nitrogen in solid form for use as anorganic fertilizer composition; deriving organic fertilizer compositionsfrom commercially available molasses; deriving thixotrophic fertilizercompositions from organic materials including molasses; and derivingorganic fertilizer compositions from yeast/black strap molasses.However, these organic fertilizer compositions typically lack therequisite concentrations of nutrients to be beneficial to agriculturalvegetation.

Some efforts to “boost” the concentrations of nutrients in these wasteby-product based organic fertilizer compositions require significantchemical processing and/or the addition of synthetically derivedchemicals. However, this approach often defeated the original goal ofdeveloping an “organic” fertilizer composition, and in many cases provedtoo costly to be economically feasible. In other cases, it was believedthat certain by-products were not capable of satisfying the requirementsof federal rules regulating organic fertilizers. Thus, some sources offertilizer nutrients were dismissed as too expensive and/or asnon-organic.

Betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid historically used as a feedadditive for many animal species. As a source of fertilizer nutrients,it is traditionally taught that betaine cannot satisfy the requirementsnecessary for use in USDA certified organic crop production and is alsotoo expensive for conventional fertilizer use. In addition, betaine washistorically thought to have too high a pH to be effectively anduniversally used as a fertilizer.

Given the cost of betaine and that betaine was not considered suitablefor use in USDA certified organic crop production, traditional teachingwas that it was more cost effective for a user seeking fertilizer topurchase urea, which is less expense and contains a higher percentage ofnitrogen than betaine. Thus, traditional agriculture largely ignoredbetaine as a viable fertilizer.

There is a current need for an environmentally benign fertilizer derivedfrom a natural organic source that provides sufficient levels of usablenutrients but does not require significant processing, does not raiseenvironmental concerns, and does not adversely affect the pH of thesoil.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a method for organic fertilizationusing betaine is disclosed. As discussed below, betaine is a by-productof the de-sugaring of beet molasses and is therefore typically readilyavailable. Despite being readily available, traditional agriculturalteaching was that betaine was not a viable organic fertilizer componentbecause it was thought that betaine failed to meet the requirementsnecessary for use in USDA certified organic crop production and thatbetaine was too alkaline a substance for use as an all-purposefertilizer.

The USDA, through its “National Organic Program” (NOP), regulates thecertification, production, handling, and labeling of USDA organicproducts. It was traditionally taught that betaine could not satisfy theNOP regulations necessary to be used in the production of USDA certifiedorganic crops. Furthermore, it was traditionally taught that betaine wasnot an economically viable fertilizer component because of its initialexpense. In addition, betaine was largely considered too alkaline asubstance for use with many types of soil. However, in contrast totraditional teachings, and as a result of extensive research andexperimentation, the Inventor discovered the unexpected result that,properly processed, betaine can meet the USDA National Organic Programstandards and therefore can be classified as an organic fertilizer andbe readily and effectively used as an organic fertilizer.

In one embodiment, a quantity of betaine is obtained. In one embodiment,the betaine is filtered to remove suspended particulate matter. In oneembodiment, filtration is provided using a wire mesh size in a range of50 to 200.

In one embodiment, the betaine is not filtered.

In one embodiment, the betaine is heat-treated. In one embodiment, theheat treatment is performed in a range of about 130 to 200 degreesFahrenheit (F) for between 4 hours to 15 days. In one embodiment, thebetaine is aerated.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated betaine is cooled to yield a betainebased organic fertilizer product.

In one embodiment, the betaine is not heat-treated.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated betaine is filtered pre- and/orpost-cooling. In one embodiment, filtration is provided using a wiremesh size in a range of 50 to 200.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated betaine is not filtered.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby applying/adding the obtained betaine directly to the agriculturalvegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting the agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby adding the betaine directly to an irrigation system servicing theagricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby applying/adding the obtained betaine directly to the agriculturalvegetation and/or the field/soil/substrate supporting the agriculturalvegetation in a concentration of less than 90% betaine.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby applying/adding the obtained betaine directly to the agriculturalvegetation and/or the field/soil/substrate supporting the agriculturalvegetation in a concentration of greater than 90% betaine.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby applying/adding the obtained betaine directly to the agriculturalvegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting the agriculturalvegetation in a concentration of 100% betaine.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby adding the betaine directly to an irrigation system servicing theagricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby adding betaine in a concentration of less than 90% directly to anirrigation system servicing the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby adding betaine in a concentration of greater than 90% directly to anirrigation system servicing the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby adding 100% betaine directly to an irrigation system servicing theagricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby combining betaine with a liquid base, such as water or any otherliquid combination, to obtain a desired concentration of betaine. In oneembodiment, the desired concentration of betaine is 20% to 60%. In otherembodiments, the concentration of betaine is any desired percentageconcentration.

In one embodiment, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is createdby combining the obtained betaine with a semi-liquid base and/orcombining the obtained betaine with one or more solids or semi-solids,and in one embodiment processing the combination to achieve a desiredconcentration of betaine. In one embodiment, the desired concentrationof betaine is 20% to 60%.

In one embodiment, once created, the betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is then applied directly to the agricultural vegetation and/orthe fields/soil/substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, once created, the betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is then added to an irrigation system servicing the agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, once created, the betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is applied to pellets that can be applied/added directly to theagricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting theagricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, the betaine based organic fertilizer product isapplied to fields of agricultural vegetation in quantities in theapproximate range of 5 to 400 gallons per acre.

While developing a betaine based organic fertilizer product, theinventor realized that betaine is too alkaline for use as a generalfertilizer. Soils are either acidic, neutral, or alkaline and their pHscan be affected by various factors, including fertilizers. Withoutadditional processing, a betaine based organic fertilizer product isgenerally only appropriate for use on acidic soils. Importantly, soil pHdirectly affects nutrient availability, thus directly affecting plantgrowth. Furthermore, plants have specific soil pH requirements.Therefore, optimal plant growth is dependent on an optimal pH. Someexperts consider a slightly acidic soil to be ideal as a slightly acidicsoil pH is thought to optimize micro- and macronutrient availabilitywhile minimizing the toxicity of availability of nutrients in the soil.

Because the inventor realized that betaine is a valuable nutrientsource, the inventor sought to adjust the pH of a betaine based organicfertilizer product and discovered that by combining and processingbetaine with various pH adjusting materials, the resulting pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product can retain the benefits ofbetaine in a pH adjusted form.

In accordance with one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by combining betaine, a by-product of thede-sugaring of beet molasses, and pH adjusting material to create a rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material includes, but is notlimited to, citric acid, a weak organic acid with the formula C₆H₈O₇.Citric acid naturally occurs in various fruits and vegetables and can beproduced using microorganisms. Thus, citric acid is readily available.After extensive research and experimentation, the inventor realized thatby combining citric acid with betaine and, in various embodiments,processing the combination as disclosed herein, a pH adjusted betainebased organic fertilizer product can be produced. The inventordiscovered that a combination of betaine and citric acid containing upto 3% citric acid adjusts the pH of the combination down to 5 on the pHscale. Surprisingly, combining citric acid with betaine in a percentagegreater than 3% citric acid does not continue to affect the pH of thecombination. When combined with betaine, citric acid does not alter theNPK value of the resulting pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer.

An NPK value refers to the relative content of the elements nitrogen(N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), which are commonly used infertilizers as these elements provide nutrients to the soil. DesirableNPK values vary depending on the amount and ratio of nutrients necessaryfor a particular soil type and particular type of plant. In someinstances, the NPK values must be carefully calibrated to avoidproviding too much or not enough of any element. Thus, in some cases, itis useful to alter a fertilizer's pH without altering its NPK value.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material includes, but is notlimited to acetic acid, an organic acid with the formula CH₃COOH. Whencombined with betaine, acetic acid does not alter the NPK value of theresulting pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer. Generally,acetic acid is synthesized in a manner inappropriate for use in USDAcertified organic crop production, but there is a nonsynthetic form ofacetic acid that is acceptable under NOP standards. By combining aceticacid with betaine and, in various embodiments, processing thecombination as disclosed herein, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product can be produced. The inventor believes that bycombining betaine and acetic acid, the pH of the combination can beadjusted down to as low as 5 on the pH scale.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material includes, but is notlimited to, grain by-products. Grain by-products are acidic and, in oneembodiment, include, but are not limited to, one or more of thefollowing: corn steep liquor, wet distillers grains, dried distillersgrains with solubles, fermented grain solubles, corn condenseddistillers solubles, and/or any other grain by-products as definedherein, known in the art at the time of filing, or developed thereafter.As incidental products of grain processing, these grain by-products arereadily available. For example, corn steep liquor is a by-product ofcorn wet-milling and is readily available from ethanol productionfacilities. When combined with betaine, grain by-products alter the NPKvalue of the resulting pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer asgrain by-products are a nitrogen source.

As discussed above, an NPK value represents the relative content of theelements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a substance. In someinstances, it is useful to alter an NPK value to change the ratio oramount of nutrients present in a fertilizer.

In one embodiment, the raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial is heat-treated and, in one embodiment, optionally filtered toremove suspended particulate matter. In one embodiment, the heat-treatedcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material is cooled to yield thepH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product. In one embodiment,the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is applied toagricultural vegetation, either directly or by inclusion in anirrigation stream.

In one embodiment, a quantity of betaine is obtained.

In one embodiment, pH adjusting material is obtained. pH adjustingmaterial includes, but is not limited to, citric acid, acetic acid,and/or grain by-products, and/or any other pH adjusting material asknown in the art at the time of filing and/or as developed after thetime of filing. pH adjusting material is also typically readilyavailable.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material is combined with thebetaine such that the resulting raw combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is less than 5% pH adjusting material and greaterthan 95% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 5% to 40% pH adjusting material and60% to 95% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 40% to 60% pH adjusting materialand 60% to 40% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 70% to 80% pH adjusting materialand 30% to 20% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is greater than 80% pH adjustingmaterial and less than 20% betaine. In other embodiments, the betaine iscombined with the pH adjusting material such that the resulting rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material is any desiredpercentage concentration of betaine and pH adjusting material.

In one embodiment, the raw betaine and pH adjusting material is filteredto remove suspended particulate matter. In one embodiment, filtration isprovided using a wire mesh size in a range of 50 to 200.

In one embodiment, the raw betaine and pH adjusting material is notfiltered.

In one embodiment, the raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial is then heat-treated. In one embodiment, the heat treatment isperformed in a range of about 130 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (F) forbetween 4 hours to 15 days. In one embodiment, the raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is aerated.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is cooled to yield the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product.

In one embodiment, the raw betaine and pH adjusting material is notheat-treated.

In one embodiment, the raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial is not heat-treated.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is filtered pre- and/or post-cooling. In oneembodiment, filtration is provided using a wire mesh size in a range of50 to 200.

In one embodiment, the heat-treated combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is not filtered.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is applied to fields of agricultural vegetation in quantities inthe approximate range of 5 to 400 gallons per acre. In one embodiment,the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product disclosedherein is applied directly to the agricultural vegetation and/or thefields/soil/substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation. In oneembodiment, the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product isapplied to the agricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substratesupporting the agricultural vegetation by inclusion in an irrigationstream. In one embodiment, the pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is directly sprayed onto the agricultural vegetation.

Using the process for production of a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product disclosed herein, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is provided that is environmentally benign; isnon-pathogenic; is derived from a natural organic source; does notrequire significant processing; has minimal odor; has a low viscosityliquid form; can be applied directly to agricultural vegetation; can beinjected and/or added into irrigation streams; includes time-releasednitrogen components which become bioavailable to agricultural vegetationby beneficial microbial digestion in soil; and eliminates chemical cropburning.

As discussed in more detail below, using the below embodiments, withlittle or no modification and/or user input, there is considerableflexibility, adaptability, and opportunity for customization to meet thespecific needs of various users under numerous circumstances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for organic fertilization using a pHadjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product in accordance with oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a process for creating betaine based organicfertilizer product in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a process for creating a pH adjusted betainebased organic fertilizer product in accordance with one embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for altering soil pH using betaine inaccordance with one embodiment.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the FIG.s and the detaileddescription to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art willreadily recognize that the above FIG.s are examples and that otherembodiments can be provided and implemented without departing from thecharacteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in theclaims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments will now be discussed with reference to the accompanyingFIG.s, which depict exemplary embodiments. Embodiments may be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein, shown in the FIG.s, and/or describedbelow. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided to allow acomplete disclosure that conveys the principles of the invention, as setforth in the claims, to those of skill in the art.

As used herein, the term “organic fertilizer” means an ingredient orproduct that may be used in certified organic crop production inaccordance with USDA National Organic Program standards.

Currently, 7 CFR 205.203 provides the practice standard for certifiedorganic crop production. The regulations under 7 CFR 205.203 provide thefollowing:

(a) The producer must select and implement tillage and cultivationpractices that maintain or improve the physical, chemical, andbiological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion.

(b) The producer must manage crop nutrients and soil fertility throughrotations, cover crops, and the application of plant and animalmaterials.

(c) The producer must manage plant and animal materials to maintain orimprove soil organic matter content in a manner that does not contributeto contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenicorganisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances. Animaland plant materials include:

(1) Raw animal manure, which must be composted unless it is:

(i) Applied to land used for a crop not intended for human consumption;

(ii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to theharvest of a product whose edible portion has direct contact with thesoil surface or soil particles; or

(iii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to theharvest of a product whose edible portion does not have direct contactwith the soil surface or soil particles;

(2) Composted plant and animal materials produced through a processthat:

(i) Established an initial C:N ratio of between 25:1 and 40:1; and

(ii) Maintained a temperature of between 131° F. and 170° F. for 3 daysusing an in-vessel or static aerated pile system; or

(iii) Maintained a temperature of between 131° F. and 170° F. for 15days using a windrow composting system, during which period, thematerials must be turned a minimum of five times.

(3) Uncomposted plant materials.

(d) A producer may manage crop nutrients and soil fertility to maintainor improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does notcontribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients,pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substancesby applying:

(1) A crop nutrient or soil amendment included on the National List ofsynthetic substances allowed for use in organic crop production;

(2) A mined substance of low solubility;

(3) A mined substance of high solubility: Provided, That, the substanceis used in compliance with the conditions established on the NationalList of nonsynthetic materials prohibited for crop production;

(4) Ash obtained from the burning of a plant or animal material, exceptas prohibited in paragraph (e) of this section: Provided, That, thematerial burned has not been treated or combined with a prohibitedsubstance or the ash is not included on the National List ofnonsynthetic substances prohibited for use in organic crop production;and

(5) A plant or animal material that has been chemically altered by amanufacturing process: Provided, that, the material is included on theNational List of synthetic substances allowed for use in organic cropproduction established in §205.601.

(e) The producer must not use:

(1) Any fertilizer or composted plant and animal material that containsa synthetic substance not included on the National List of syntheticsubstances allowed for use in organic crop production;

(2) Sewage sludge (biosolids) as defined in 40 CFR part 503; and

(3) Burning as a means of disposal for crop residues produced on theoperation: Except, That, burning may be used to suppress the spread ofdisease or to stimulate seed germination.

As used herein, the term “pH adjusting material” includes liquid pHadjusting material, and/or any solid and/or semi-solid pH adjustingmaterial, and/or any liquid, semi-solid, or solid pH adjusting materialthat adjusts the pH of raw betaine, as discussed herein, and/or as knownin the art at the time of filing, and/or as developed after the time offiling. In various embodiments, the term “pH adjusting material”includes, but is not limited to, citric acid, acetic acid, and/or grainby-products, and/or any other pH adjusting material as known in the artat the time of filing and/or as developed after the time of filing.

As used herein, the term “combination” includes, but is not limited to,a mixture, solution, colloid, and/or suspension.

In accordance with one embodiment, a method for organic fertilizationusing betaine includes creating a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product and applying the pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product to agricultural vegetation and/or thefields/soil/substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation as a methodof organic fertilization of the agricultural vegetation.

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of a method for organic fertilization using apH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product 100 in accordancewith one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the method for organicfertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine 100 begins atenter operation 101 and process flow proceeds to OBTAIN BETAINEOPERATION 103.

In one embodiment, at OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 a quantity of betaineis obtained.

Betaine, along with concentrated molasses solids, is produced as aby-product of de-sugaring beet molasses by chromatographic extractiontechniques. In the chromatographic extraction desugaring process,considerable amounts of high-purity betaine are recovered and arereadily available. Traditionally, this betaine was used as a liquidanimal feed supplement.

A discussion of the improved chromatographic separation processcurrently practiced by many sugar refiners is provided in “Raw JuiceChromatographic Separation Process” published in the Proceedings fromthe 28th Biennial ASSBT Meeting, Operations, New Orleans, La., March8-11, 1995, by Kearney, Kochergin, Petersen, Velasquez and Jacob ofAmalgamated Research Inc.

As also noted above, despite being readily available, betaine was notconsidered an economically viable fertilizer component by traditionalagricultural teachings because of its initial expense, its relativelysmall percentage of available nitrogen, and the belief that betainecould not satisfy NOP regulations to be used in certified organic cropproduction.

According to this long-standing teaching in the art, the use of betaineas a fertilizer was prohibitively expensive and it was considered morecost effective for a user seeking fertilizer to purchase urea, whichcontains a higher percentage of nitrogen than betaine, than to purchasebetaine. Consequently, given the expense of betaine and its relativelysmall percentage of nitrogen, traditional agriculture largely ignoredbetaine as a viable fertilizer. However, as a result of extensiveresearch and experimentation, the inventor discovered the unexpectedresult that properly processed, betaine can meet the USDA NationalOrganic Program standards set forth above, and can therefore be used asan organic fertilizer in certified organic crop production. Once theinventor realized that betaine can be processed in such a way that itcan be used in crop production that meets the USDA National OrganicProgram standards, the inventor realized that betaine has a special useand special value as an organic nitrogen source and that this discoveredproperty more than justifies its expense.

In one embodiment, once a quantity of betaine is obtained at OBTAINBETAINE OPERATION 103, process flow proceeds to OBTAIN PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL OPERATION 104.

In various embodiments, pH adjusting material includes, but is notlimited to, citric acid, acetic acid, grain by-products, corn steepliquor, wet distillers grains, dried distillers grains with solubles,fermented grain solubles, corn condensed distillers solubles, and/or anyother pH adjusting material as known in the art at the time of filingand/or as developed after the time of filing.

In one embodiment, once a quantity of pH adjusting material is obtainedat OBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104, process flow proceeds toCREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION105.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by combining the obtained betaine ofOBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 with the obtained pH adjusting material ofOBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by applying/adding the obtained betaine ofOBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material ofOBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 directly to the agriculturalvegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting the agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 by applying/adding the obtained betaineof OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting materialof OBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 directly to theagricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting theagricultural vegetation in a concentration of less than 90% betaine.

In one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 by applying/adding the obtained betaineof OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting materialof OBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 directly to theagricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting theagricultural vegetation in a concentration of equal to or greater than90% betaine.

In one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 by applying/adding the obtained betaineof OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting materialof OBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 directly to theagricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substrate supporting theagricultural vegetation in a concentration of 100% betaine.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by adding the obtained betaine of OBTAINBETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material of OBTAINPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 directly to an irrigation systemservicing the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 by adding the obtained betaine ofOBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material ofOBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 in a concentration of lessthan 90% directly to an irrigation system servicing the agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 by adding the obtained betaine ofOBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material ofOBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 in a concentration of greaterthan 90% directly to an irrigation system servicing the agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105, a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by the obtained betaine of OBTAIN BETAINEOPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material of OBTAIN PHADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 with a liquid base, such as water orany other liquid or combination, to obtain a desired concentration ofbetaine. In one embodiment, the desired concentration of betaine is 20%to 60%.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by combining the obtained betaine ofOBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material ofOBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 with a semi-liquid baseand/or combining the obtained betaine with one or more solids orsemi-solids to achieve a desired concentration of betaine. In oneembodiment, the desired concentration of betaine is 20% to 60%.

In one embodiment, at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is created by applying the obtained betaine of OBTAINBETAINE OPERATION 103 and the obtained pH adjusting material of OBTAINPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 104 to pellets that can be applied/addeddirectly to the agricultural vegetation and/or the fields/soil/substratesupporting the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, once a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is created at CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105, process flow proceeds to DELIVERAND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCTOPERATION 107.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 is transferred in bulk to a tankertruck and/or transferred into drums for delivery of smaller quantitiesof the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product. In oneembodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 is then delivered to farms forapplication to agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, a quantity of the pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINEBASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 is offloaded into plasticfield tanks located at or near the application site. In one embodiment,at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZERPRODUCT OPERATION 107, the plastic field tanks are then used to feed thepH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of CREATE A PHADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 into anirrigation stream either by direct injection or by vacuum drawing fromthe irrigation flow.

Depending on the particular agricultural vegetation requirements, theapplication rate of the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCTOPERATION 105 at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107 may be anywhere in a range ofapproximately 5 to 400 gallons per acre.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 is applied to pellets that can beapplied/added directly to the agricultural vegetation and/or thefields/soil/substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 105 may also be directly sprayed onto theagricultural vegetation without concerns of plant burning, which mayoccur with more concentrated inorganic fertilizers.

In one embodiment, once the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct of CREATE A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCTOPERATION 105 is delivered and applied at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PHADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 107, processflow proceeds to EXIT OPERATION 130 and process for organicfertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine 100 is exited.

Using the method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetationusing betaine 100, contrary to conventional teachings, a pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product is provided that isenvironmentally benign; is non-pathogenic; is derived from naturalorganic sources; does not require significant processing; has minimalodor; has a low viscosity liquid form; can be applied directly toagricultural vegetation; can be injected and/or added into irrigationstreams; includes time-released nitrogen components that becomebioavailable to agricultural vegetation by beneficial microbialdigestion in soil; and eliminates chemical crop burning.

Consequently, using the process for organic fertilization ofagricultural vegetation using betaine 100, the previously undiscovereduse of betaine as a fertilizer nutrient for use in USDA certifiedorganic crop production is disclosed, thereby providing a new use forbetaine in contrast to prior art teachings and providing a solution tothe long standing problem of finding new sources of organic fertilizernutrients and new methods of organic fertilization.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a process for production of a betaine basedorganic fertilizer product 200 in accordance with one embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 2, process for production of a betaine based organicfertilizer product 200 begins at enter operation 201 and process flowproceeds to OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 203.

In one embodiment, at OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 203 a quantity of betaineis obtained.

Conventionally, the use of betaine as a fertilizer is very expensive.Thus, traditional teaching was that it was more cost effective for auser seeking fertilizer to purchase urea, which contains a higherpercentage of nitrogen than betaine, than to purchase betaine. Given theexpense of betaine and its relatively small percentage of nitrogen,traditional agriculture largely ignored betaine as a viable fertilizer.However, as a result of extensive research and experimentation, theinventor discovered the unexpected result that properly processed,betaine can meet the USDA National Organic Program standards andtherefore can be used as an organic fertilizer.

Once the inventor identified the processing that allows betaine to meetthe USDA National Organic Program standards for an organic fertilizer,the inventor realized that betaine has a special use and special valueas an organic nitrogen source that more than justifies its expense.

Returning to FIG. 2, once a quantity of betaine is obtained at OBTAINBETAINE OPERATION 203, process flow proceeds to TRANSFER THE BETAINEINTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205.

In one embodiment, at TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO A TREATMENT VESSELOPERATION 205, the betaine of OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 203 istransferred to a treatment vessel.

In one embodiment, at TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO A TREATMENT VESSELOPERATION 205, the betaine is filtered as it is transferred to thetreatment vessel. In one embodiment, this filtering is optional, if, forexample, the amount of suspended particulate matter has been found to beminimal. If pre-treatment filtration is desired, a stainless steel, orother suitable material, mesh having a mesh size number between 50 and200 may be used. In one embodiment, the mesh size is 200.

In one embodiment, the treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO ATREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205 is an insulated stainless steel tankhaving electrically powered heat strips applied thereto. However, thetank construction and heating mechanism are not critical to thetreatment process. For example, in one embodiment, at TRANSFER THEBETAINE INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205, the treatment vessel is acarbon steel tank that is heated by steam supplied by a package boileror cogeneration facility. One skilled in the art will appreciate thatother non-metallic treatment vessels may be employed as well at TRANSFERTHE BETAINE INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205.

In one embodiment, once the betaine is transferred to a treatment vesselat TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205, processflow proceeds to HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINEOPERATION 207.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINEOPERATION 207, the betaine of OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 203 ismechanically heated.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINEOPERATION 207, heat is applied to the betaine to raise the averagetemperature of the betaine to at least 130 degrees F.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINEOPERATION 207, heat is added until the average temperature of thebetaine is raised to approximately 130 degrees F. or more. Thistemperature range is known to inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth of themost common pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINEOPERATION 207 the betaine is maintained in the treatment vessel at orabove 130 degrees F. for at least 24 hours to ensure uniform heattransfer to the betaine. In one embodiment, to aid in uniform heattransfer, an agitator or pumped recirculation flow may be employed atHEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 as part ofthe treatment process. In one embodiment, if an agitator or pumpedrecirculation flow is used to maintain the uniform heat treatment,filtration may also be accomplished concurrently at HEAT THE BETAINE TOCREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 by placement of a suitablefilter screen as discussed above, into the recirculation flow path. Inone embodiment, the heat treatment of HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATEHEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 may be performed for 120 hours ormore, if desired. However, for energy conservation reasons, 24 to 48hours of heat treatment is believed adequate.

In one embodiment, water may be blended with the heat-treated betaine atHEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 to meetthe desired nitrogen per weight or volume requirements of the betaine.In one embodiment, water may also be used to recover losses due toevaporation during the heat treatment process of HEAT THE BETAINE TOCREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207. Water blending is typicallynot required, but is an optional procedure.

In one embodiment, once the betaine of OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 203 isheat-treated in the treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO ATREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205 at HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATEHEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 to create heat-treated betaine,process flow proceeds to COOL THE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE TO YIELD ABETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 209.

In one embodiment, at COOL THE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE TO YIELD A BETAINEBASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 209, the heat-treated betaineof HEAT THE BETAINE TO CREATE HEAT-TREATED BETAINE OPERATION 207 isallowed to cool in the treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE BETAINE INTO ATREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 205.

As noted, in one embodiment, the cooling at COOL THE HEAT-TREATEDBETAINE TO YIELD A BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION209 yields the resulting betaine based organic fertilizer product.

In one embodiment, once the heat-treated betaine is cooled at COOL THEHEAT-TREATED BETAINE TO YIELD A BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCTOPERATION 209 to yield the betaine based organic fertilizer product,process flow proceeds to DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211 the pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product is transferred in bulk to a tanker truck and/ortransferred into drums for delivery of smaller quantities of the betainebased organic fertilizer product. In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/ORAPPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211, thebetaine based organic fertilizer product is delivered to farms forapplication to agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211, a quantity of the betaine basedorganic fertilizer product is offloaded into plastic field tanks locatedat or near the application site. In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/ORAPPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211, theplastic field tanks are then used to feed the betaine based organicfertilizer product into the irrigation stream either by direct injectionor by vacuum drawing from the irrigation flow.

Depending on the particular agricultural vegetation requirements, theapplication rate of the betaine based organic fertilizer product atDELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCTOPERATION 211 may be anywhere in a range of approximately 5 to 400gallons per acre.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211, the betaine based organic fertilizerproduct may be directly sprayed onto the agricultural vegetation withoutconcerns of plant burning as may occur with more concentrated inorganicfertilizers.

In one embodiment, once the betaine based organic fertilizer product isdelivered and applied at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 211, process flow proceeds to EXITOPERATION 230 and process for creating a betaine based organicfertilizer product 200 is exited.

Using process for production of a betaine based organic fertilizerproduct 200, a betaine based organic fertilizer product is provided thatis environmentally benign; is non-pathogenic; is derived from naturalorganic sources; does not require significant processing; has minimalodor; has a low viscosity liquid form; can be applied directly toagricultural vegetation; can be injected and/or added into irrigationstreams; includes time-released nitrogen components which becomebioavailable to agricultural vegetation by beneficial microbialdigestion in soil; and eliminates chemical crop burning.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a process for production of a pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product 300 in accordance with oneembodiment.

In accordance with one embodiment, a process for production of a pHadjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product includes combiningbetaine, a by-product of the de-sugaring of beet molasses, and pHadjusting material. In various embodiments, pH adjusting materialincludes, but is not limited to, citric acid, acetic acid, grainby-products, corn steep liquor, wet distillers grains, dried distillersgrains with solubles, fermented grain solubles, corn condenseddistillers solubles, and/or any other pH adjusting material as known inthe art at the time of filing and/or as developed after the time offiling. In one embodiment, the raw combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is heat-treated and, in one embodiment, optionallyfiltered to remove suspended particulate matter. In one embodiment, theheat-treated combination of betaine and pH adjusting material is cooledto yield the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product. Inone embodiment, the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer productis then applied to agricultural vegetation, either directly or byinclusion in an irrigation stream.

As shown in FIG. 3, process for production of a pH adjusted betainebased organic fertilizer product 300 begins at enter operation 301 andprocess flow proceeds to OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 303.

In one embodiment, at OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 303, a quantity ofbetaine is obtained.

Betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid, and, historically, has beencommonly used as a feed additive for many animal species.

When beet molasses is de-sugared by chromatographic extractiontechniques, two by-products are produced: concentrated molasses solidsand betaine. Thus, betaine is a by-product of the de-sugaring of beetmolasses and therefore is readily available. In the chromatic extractiondesugaring process, considerable amounts of high-purity betaine arerecovered and used as liquid animal feed supplements.

Ultimately, the present Inventor discovered that the combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material improves the efficacy of eachcomponent substance beyond what would be expected as traditionallytaught by those of skill in the art. In essence, the resulting whole isgreater than the sum of its parts. This efficacy results in bothprocessed and non-processed combinations of betaine, and betaine and pHadjusting material.

Returning to FIG. 3, once a quantity of betaine is obtained at OBTAINBETAINE OPERATION 303, process flow proceeds to OBTAIN PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL OPERATION 305.

In one embodiment, at OBTAIN PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 305, pHadjusting material is obtained.

As noted above, in various embodiments, pH adjusting material includes,but is not limited to, citric acid, acetic acid, grain by-products, cornsteep liquor, wet distillers grains, dried distillers grains withsolubles, fermented grain solubles, corn condensed distillers solubles,and/or any other pH adjusting material as known in the art at the timeof filing and/or as developed after the time of filing. pH adjustingmaterial is generally readily available.

In one embodiment, once pH adjusting material is obtained at OBTAIN PHADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 305, process flow proceeds to COMBINE THEBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINEAND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 307.

In one embodiment, at COMBINE THE BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TOCREATE A RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION307, the pH adjusting material is combined with the betaine.

In various embodiments, at COMBINE THE BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIALTO CREATE A RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIALOPERATION 307, the pH adjusting material is combined with the betainesuch that the resulting raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial is any desired percentage concentration of pH adjustingmaterial, typically as determined by cost and the specific needs of theuser.

In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material is combined with thebetaine such that the resulting raw combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is less than 5% pH adjusting material and greaterthan 95% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 5% to 40% pH adjusting material and60% to 95% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 40% to 60% pH adjusting materialand 60% to 40% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is 70% to 80% pH adjusting materialand 30% to 20% betaine. In one embodiment, the pH adjusting material iscombined with the betaine such that the resulting raw combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material is greater than 80% pH adjustingmaterial and less than 20% betaine. In other embodiments, the betaine iscombined with the pH adjusting material such that the resulting rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material is any desiredpercentage concentration of betaine and pH adjusting material.

In one embodiment, once the pH adjusting material is combined with thebetaine at COMBINE THE BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A RAWCOMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 307 to createa raw combination of betaine and pH adjusting material, process flowproceeds to TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309.

In one embodiment, at TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309, the rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material of COMBINE THE BETAINEAND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 307 is transferred to a treatment vessel.

In one embodiment, at TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309, the rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material is filtered as the rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material is transferred into thetreatment vessel. In one embodiment, this filtering is optional, if, forexample, the amount of suspended particulate matter has been found to beminimal. If pre-treatment filtration is desired, a stainless steel, orother suitable material, mesh having a mesh size number between 50 and200 may be employed. In one embodiment, the mesh size is 200.

In one embodiment, the treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATIONOF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION309 is an insulated stainless steel tank having electrically poweredheat strips applied thereto. However, the tank construction and heatingmechanism are not critical to the treatment process. For example, in oneembodiment, at TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309 the treatment vessel is acarbon steel tank which is heated by steam supplied by a package boileror cogeneration facility. Moreover, the slightly basic pH of thecombination of betaine with various pH adjusting materials is notconsidered particularly corrosive to the metals commonly used in theconstruction of metal treatment vessels. One skilled in the art willappreciate that other non-metallic treatment vessels may be employed aswell at TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309.

In one embodiment, once the raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial is transferred to a treatment vessel at TRANSFER THE RAWCOMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSELOPERATION 309, process flow proceeds to HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OFBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATIONOF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311, the raw combination of betaine andpH adjusting material of COMBINE THE BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIALTO CREATE A RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIALOPERATION 307 is mechanically heated.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311, heat is applied to the rawcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material to raise the averagetemperature of the raw combination of betaine and pH adjusting materialto at least 130 degrees F.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311, heat is added until the averagetemperature of the raw combination of betaine and pH adjusting materialis raised to approximately 130 degrees F. or more. This temperaturerange is known to inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth of the most commonpathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.

In one embodiment, at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311, the combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is maintained in the treatment vessel at or above 130degrees F. for at least 24 hours to ensure uniform heat transfer to thecombination of betaine and pH adjusting material. In one embodiment, toaid in uniform heat transfer, an agitator or pumped recirculation flowmay be employed at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311 as part of the treatment process. Inone embodiment, if an agitator or pumped recirculation flow is used tomaintain the uniform heat treatment, filtration may also be accomplishedconcurrently at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTINGMATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311 by placement of a suitable filterscreen as discussed above, into the recirculation flow path. In oneembodiment, the heat treatment of HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINEAND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OFBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311 may be performed for 120hours or more, if desired. However, for energy conservation reasons 24to 48 hours of heat treatment is believed to be adequate.

In one embodiment, water may be blended with the heat-treatedcombination of betaine and pH adjusting material at HEAT THE RAWCOMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE AHEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION311 to meet the desired nitrogen per weight or volume requirements ofthe combination of betaine and pH adjusting material. In one embodiment,water may also be used to recover losses due to evaporation during theheat treatment process of HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311. However, water blending istypically not required, but is rather an optional procedure.

In one embodiment, once the raw combination of betaine and pH adjustingmaterial of COMBINE THE BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE ARAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 307 isheat-treated in the treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OFBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309at HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TOCREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIALOPERATION 311 to create a heat-treated combination of betaine and pHadjusting material, process flow proceeds to COOL THE HEAT-TREATEDCOMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO YIELD A PH ADJUSTEDBETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 313.

In one embodiment, at COOL THE HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OF BETAINE ANDPH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO YIELD A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANICFERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 313, the heat-treated combination ofbetaine and pH adjusting material of HEAT THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINEAND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO CREATE A HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OFBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL OPERATION 311 is allowed to cool inthe treatment vessel of TRANSFER THE RAW COMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PHADJUSTING MATERIAL INTO A TREATMENT VESSEL OPERATION 309.

As noted, in one embodiment, the cooling at COOL THE HEAT-TREATEDCOMBINATION OF BETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO YIELD A PH ADJUSTEDBETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 313 yields theresulting pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product.

In one embodiment, once the heat-treated combination of betaine and pHadjusting material is cooled at COOL THE HEAT-TREATED COMBINATION OFBETAINE AND PH ADJUSTING MATERIAL TO YIELD A PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 313 to yield the pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product, process flow proceeds toDELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZERPRODUCT OPERATION 315.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315 the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product is transferred in bulk to a tanker truckand/or transferred into drums for delivery of smaller quantities of thepH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product. In one embodiment,at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZERPRODUCT OPERATION 315, the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is then delivered to farms for application to agriculturalvegetation.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315 the pH adjusted betaine basedorganic fertilizer product is applied to pellets that can beapplied/added directly to the agricultural vegetation and/or thefields/soil/substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315, a quantity of the pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product is offloaded into plastic fieldtanks located at or near the application site. In one embodiment, atDELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZERPRODUCT OPERATION 315, the plastic field tanks are then used to feed theresulting pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product into theirrigation stream either by direct injection or by vacuum drawing fromthe irrigation flow.

Depending on the particular agricultural vegetation requirements, theapplication rate of the resulting pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315, may be anywhere in a range ofapproximately 5 to 400 gallons per acre.

In one embodiment, at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTED BETAINE BASEDORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315, the resulting pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product may also be directly sprayedonto the agricultural vegetation without concerns of plant burning asmay occur with more concentrated inorganic fertilizers.

In one embodiment, once the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is delivered and applied at DELIVER AND/OR APPLY THE PH ADJUSTEDBETAINE BASED ORGANIC FERTILIZER PRODUCT OPERATION 315, process flowproceeds to EXIT OPERATION 330 and process for creating a pH adjustedbetaine based organic fertilizer product 300 is exited.

Using process for production of a pH adjusted betaine based organicfertilizer product 300, a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizerproduct is provided that is environmentally benign; is non-pathogenic;is derived from natural organic sources; does not require significantprocessing; has minimal odor; has a low viscosity liquid form; can beapplied directly to agricultural vegetation; can be injected and/oradded into irrigation streams; includes time-released nitrogencomponents which become bioavailable to agricultural vegetation bybeneficial microbial digestion in soil; and eliminates chemical cropburning.

In one embodiment, betaine is applied to soil to alter the soil pH. Asshown in FIG. 4, a method for altering soil pH using betaine 400 beginsat enter operation 401 and process flow proceeds to OBTAIN BETAINEOPERATION 403.

In one embodiment, after betaine is obtained at OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION403, process flow proceeds to APPLY BETAINE TO SOIL OPERATION 405. Inone embodiment, at APPLY BETAINE TO SOIL OPERATION 405, at least aportion of the betaine obtained at OBTAIN BETAINE OPERATION 403 isapplied to soil to alter the pH of the soil.

In one embodiment, after betaine is applied to soil at APPLY BETAINE TOSOIL OPERATION 405, process flow proceeds to EXIT OPERATION 430.

Using method for altering soil pH using betaine 400, soil pH is adjustedusing betaine, which is benign; is non-pathogenic; is derived fromnatural organic sources; does not require significant processing; hasminimal odor; has a low viscosity liquid form; can be applied directlyto agricultural vegetation; can be injected and/or added into irrigationstreams; includes time-released nitrogen components which becomebioavailable to agricultural vegetation by beneficial microbialdigestion in soil; and eliminates chemical crop burning.

It should be noted that the language used in the specification has beenprincipally selected for readability, clarity and instructionalpurposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribethe inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scopeof the invention, which is set forth in the claims below.

In the discussion above, certain aspects of one embodiment includeprocess steps and/or operations described herein for illustrativepurposes in a particular order and/or grouping. However, the particularorder and/or grouping shown and discussed herein are illustrative onlyand not limiting. Those of skill in the art will recognize that otherorders and/or grouping of the process steps and/or operations arepossible and, in some embodiments, one or more of the process stepsand/or operations discussed above can be combined and/or deleted. Inaddition, portions of one or more of the process steps and/or operationscan be re-grouped as portions of one or more of the process steps and/oroperations discussed herein. Consequently, the particular order and/orgrouping of the process steps and/or operations discussed herein do notlimit the scope of the invention as claimed below.

In addition, the operations shown in the FIG.s are identified using aparticular nomenclature for ease of description and understanding, butother nomenclature is often used in the art to identify equivalentoperations.

Therefore, numerous variations, whether explicitly provided for by thespecification or implied by the specification or not, may be implementedby one of skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process of manufacturing a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product comprising: obtaining a quantity of betaine, wherein the betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid and wherein the betaine is obtained from betaine by-product, wherein the betaine by-product is a by-product of a process for the de-sugaring of beet molasses; obtaining a quantity of corn steep liquor; obtaining a quantity of pH adjusting material; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine, at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor, and at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material; heat treating the raw combination of betaine and pH adjusting material to at least 130 degrees F. for at least 4 hours to yield a heat-treated combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material; and cooling the heat-treated combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material to yield the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product.
 2. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein the pH adjusting material includes at least one pH adjusting material selected from the group of pH adjusting materials consisting of: citric acid; acetic acid; grain by-products; wet distillers grains; dried distillers grains with solubles; fermented grain solubles; or corn condensed distillers solubles.
 3. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein the pH adjusting material includes citric acid.
 4. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein the pH adjusting material includes acetic acid.
 5. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; the pH adjusting material is a solid and/or semi-solid pH adjusting material.
 6. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; the pH adjusting material is a liquid pH adjusting material.
 7. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine, at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor, and at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material comprises combining at least part of the quantity of betaine, at least part of the corn steep liquor, and at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material that is 0.5% to 99.5% betaine.
 8. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine, at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor, and at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material comprises combining at least part of the quantity of betaine, at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor, and at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material that is 0.5% to 20% pH adjusting material.
 9. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number of
 200. 10. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number in a range of 50 to
 200. 11. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the heat-treated combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number of
 200. 12. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, further comprising: filtering the heat-treated combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material using a filter having a standard wire size number in a range of 50 to
 200. 13. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a nitrogen content in a range of 2 to 6 percent.
 14. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a phosphate content in a range of 0.5 to 2.5 percent.
 15. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 1, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a potassium content in a range of 1 to 7 percent.
 16. A process for fertilizing a field comprising: obtaining a quantity of betaine, wherein the betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid, wherein the betaine is obtained from betaine by-product, wherein the betaine by-product is a by-product of a process for the de-sugaring of beet molasses; obtaining a quantity of corn steep liquor; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor; filtering the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number of at least 50 to yield a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product; and applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product to agricultural vegetation.
 17. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor comprises combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor that is 0.5% to 99.5% betaine.
 18. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor comprises combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor that is 0.5% to 20% corn steep liquor.
 19. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, further comprising: heat treating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor, wherein heat treating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor includes heating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor to 130 degrees F. for at least 4 hours.
 20. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, further comprising: heat treating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor, wherein heat treating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor includes heating the raw combination of betaine and corn steep liquor to a range of about 130 to 200 degrees F. for 4 to 120 hours.
 21. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product includes a nitrogen content in a range of 2 to 6 percent.
 22. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product includes a phosphate content in a range of 0.5 to 2.5 percent.
 23. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product includes a potassium content in a range of 1 to 7 percent.
 24. The process for fertilizing agricultural vegetation of claim 16, wherein; applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product to the agricultural vegetation comprises applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product at a rate of 5 to 400 gallons per acre.
 25. A method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine comprising: obtaining a quantity of betaine, wherein the betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid and wherein the betaine is obtained from betaine by-product, wherein the betaine by-product is a by-product of a process for the de-sugaring of beet molasses; obtaining a quantity of citric acid; creating a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product using the betaine and the citric acid; and applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product to agricultural vegetation.
 26. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is greater than 90% betaine.
 27. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is applied/added directly to the agricultural vegetation and/or fields and/or soil and/or substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation.
 28. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is applied/added to an irrigation system servicing the agricultural vegetation.
 29. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is added to a liquid base to obtain a desired concentration of betaine.
 30. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is added to a semi-liquid base to achieve a desired concentration of betaine.
 31. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of 29 wherein the desired concentration of betaine is 20% to 60%.
 32. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is added to one or more solids or semi-solids to achieve a desired concentration of betaine.
 33. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product to agricultural vegetation includes applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product at a rate of 5 to 400 gallons per acre.
 34. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product to agricultural vegetation includes applying the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product directly to the agricultural vegetation.
 35. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is created by applying/adding the obtained betaine directly to the agricultural vegetation and/or fields and/or soil and/or substrate supporting the agricultural vegetation.
 36. The method for organic fertilization of agricultural vegetation using betaine of claim 25 wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is created by adding the obtained betaine to an irrigation system servicing the agricultural vegetation.
 37. A process of manufacturing a pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product comprising: obtaining a quantity of betaine, wherein the betaine is an N-trimethylated amino acid and wherein the betaine is obtained from betaine by-product, wherein the betaine by-product is a by-product of a process for the de-sugaring of beet molasses; obtaining a quantity of corn steep liquor; combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product.
 38. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, further comprising: obtaining a quantity of pH adjusting material; combining at least part of the quantity of pH adjusting material with at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor to yield a raw combination of betaine, corn steep liquor, and pH adjusting material to yield the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product.
 39. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 38, wherein the pH adjusting material includes at least one pH adjusting material selected from the group of pH adjusting materials consisting of: citric acid; acetic acid; grain by-products; wet distillers grains; dried distillers grains with solubles; fermented grain solubles; or corn condensed distillers solubles.
 40. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 38, wherein the pH adjusting material includes citric acid.
 41. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 38, wherein the pH adjusting material includes acetic acid.
 42. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 38, wherein; the pH adjusting material is a solid and/or semi-solid pH adjusting material.
 43. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 38, wherein; the pH adjusting material is a liquid pH adjusting material.
 44. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is 0.5% to 99.5% betaine.
 45. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product is 0.5% to 20% corn steep liquor.
 46. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor further comprises filtering the combination of betaine and corn steep liquor using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number of
 200. 47. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein combining at least part of the quantity of betaine and at least part of the quantity of corn steep liquor further comprises filtering the combination of betaine and corn steep liquor using a filter having a standard wire mesh size number in a range of 50 to
 200. 48. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a nitrogen content in a range of 2 to 6 percent.
 49. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a phosphate content in a range of 0.5 to 2.5 percent.
 50. The process of manufacturing the pH adjusted betaine based organic fertilizer product of claim 37, wherein; the betaine fertilizer product includes a potassium content in a range of 1 to 7 percent. 